There was a video on CNN about this today (hey, I still have 18 minutes before the 14th becomes yesterday).
If you wanted to get yourself off of Facebook it was relatively easy to deactivate your account. But what can be deactivated can be reactivated. The sticking point is that all of your data (that'd be your contacts, addresses, pictures and messages) is saved on Facebook's servers, even after you deactivate the account.
I'm canceling my account. Why the hell are you keeping my information?
In theory, so you can reactivate the account later. Many a person were understandably miffed by this. The obvious downside is that a ton of personal information is now being stored but not being maintained or monitored by the owner. At least when you're actively using the account you can tell if something's amiss and jump right on it. If you've theoretically canceled the account it may be months and months before you realize that your information is still being used, and by this point the damage may be nigh irreparable.
As per the video, there is now a web form that you can fill out to delete the account and all of that juicy personal information. If there had been an a clear distinction and choice between deactivation and deletion right from the get-go there could have been many a headache avoided. For all of its good qualities Facebook just seems to have some sort of bizarre aversion to foresight. Hello? Beacon?
Deletion versus deactivation; they both start with a "de", but the similarities end there.
If you wanted to get yourself off of Facebook it was relatively easy to deactivate your account. But what can be deactivated can be reactivated. The sticking point is that all of your data (that'd be your contacts, addresses, pictures and messages) is saved on Facebook's servers, even after you deactivate the account.
I'm canceling my account. Why the hell are you keeping my information?
In theory, so you can reactivate the account later. Many a person were understandably miffed by this. The obvious downside is that a ton of personal information is now being stored but not being maintained or monitored by the owner. At least when you're actively using the account you can tell if something's amiss and jump right on it. If you've theoretically canceled the account it may be months and months before you realize that your information is still being used, and by this point the damage may be nigh irreparable.
As per the video, there is now a web form that you can fill out to delete the account and all of that juicy personal information. If there had been an a clear distinction and choice between deactivation and deletion right from the get-go there could have been many a headache avoided. For all of its good qualities Facebook just seems to have some sort of bizarre aversion to foresight. Hello? Beacon?
Deletion versus deactivation; they both start with a "de", but the similarities end there.
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